House of Commons Hansard #276 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was firearms.

Topics

Canadian Jewish Heritage MonthPrivate Members' Business

7:10 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

In my opinion the yeas have it.

And five or more members having risen:

Canadian Jewish Heritage MonthPrivate Members' Business

7:10 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

Pursuant to Standing Order 98, the recorded division stands deferred until Wednesday, March 28, immediately before the time provided for private members' business.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

National DefenceAdjournment Proceedings

7:10 p.m.

Conservative

James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise on a question I asked last week about the UN mission in Mali, to which the Prime Minister announced we would be going. I would like to point out that in the question I quoted some Liberals who had raised some major questions.

General Roméo Dallaire said back in 2016, “I wouldn't touch Mali with a 10-foot pole.” He is talking from experience. This is a general who went on UN missions to places like Rwanda, witnessed the atrocities, and had to deal with the UN bureaucratic chain of command and very restrictive rules of engagement.

On top of that, Aileen Carroll, a former Liberal member and minister for international co-operation stated, “Mali is wrong-headed and a folly” and “There is no peace to keep.” I could not agree with her more and her assessment of the mission in Mali.

It is also important to point out that over two years ago the Liberals, the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Defence made a promise they would increase the number of UN peacekeepers that Canada would provide on an annual basis. They said that there would be 600 troops and 150 police officers deployed around the world on multiple UN missions, carrying the flag and being used as political pawns for the Prime Minister's aspirations and self-ambition to have a seat on the UN Security Council.

However, it is important to note that the number of actual troops deployed on UN missions around the world today stands at only 22, the lowest level we have ever had. As much as the government likes to say the Conservatives let the UN mission slide under prime minister Stephen Harper, that number was never below 130. We are at 22 troops today. That is a huge embarrassment for the government. I think that is one of the reasons why the Liberals are rushing this announcement, without having lined up all the details of this mission. They are trying to turn the page on their disastrous trip to India, on the complete folly we are seeing with respect to so many files on the foreign affairs front, and on the number of peacekeepers, which are down to only 22 Canadian soldiers on missions around the world.

We are also seeing a complete inability and lack of articulation of exactly what our troops will be doing on this mission to Mali. How many troops will there be? We have heard that there will be an air task force, four Griffin helicopters, two Chinook helicopters, medevac transport and logistics, maybe special operations forces, and maybe some close combat support. However, we have not heard exactly what anyone will do and when they will leave. There is talk that it may be sometime late summer.

The Prime Minister has yet to explain to Canadians, and to members in the House of Commons, how the UN mission in Mali is of international interest. Why is there no peace to keep? Why would we put our troops into a situation, as we have done in previous UN peacekeeping missions, where they go into a mission and there is no peace to keep? They will be among two warring factions. They essentially will have to sit on their hands and only shoot back if they are shot at themselves. That is the type of restrictive rules of engagement they have. They cannot proactively take out the threat. They cannot really fulfill their responsibility to protect civilian people and prevent casualties among the population. All too often soldiers who are on UN peacekeeping missions come back dealing with PTSD and other operational stress injuries. They have witnessed the types of atrocities like they saw in Serbia, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Somalia.

National DefenceAdjournment Proceedings

7:15 p.m.

Saint-Jean Québec

Liberal

Jean Rioux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, Canada is committed to building a safer, more prosperous world. Our government is proud of what it accomplished at the 2017 UN ministerial conference on peacekeeping held in Vancouver.

At that conference, we committed to increasing the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping operations in a number of ways. At the event, we announced the Vancouver principles on peacekeeping. The principles include taking a firmer approach to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers in peacekeeping operations. Those principles came together in large part thanks to the hard work of General Roméo Dallaire.

Another initiative supported at the Vancouver conference was the Elsie initiative. As part of that initiative, Canada will work with its partners to provide assistance and offer incentives in order to increase the proportion of women deployed in UN peacekeeping operations and expand the essential role women play. It has been proven that conflict resolution happens faster and peace lasts longer when women are involved.

The Prime Minister has been clear about his commitment to gender equality and the participation of women in missions.

We will ensure that Canada contributes to achieving the UN Security Council's objectives by increasing the number of women deployed in peace operations.

Building on the achievements of the Vancouver conference, last week our government announced Canada's second joint commitment, namely to deploy an air task force for the UN mission in Mali for a 12-month period.

I want to point out that this is a deployment to a francophone country where the bilingualism of our forces members will be an asset. We promised Canadians that we would renew our commitment to peacekeeping and that is exactly what we are doing.

Last week, at the request of the UN, we announced that Canada will provide an air task force comprising two Chinook helicopters and four Griffon helicopters that will provide much-needed transportation and logistical capabilities, as well as escort and armed protection capabilities. The deployment will also include a certain number of Canadian Armed Forces members. This is another example of our government's commitment to engage in the world.

Of course, safety and security during these operations and the well-being of the women and men of our armed forces are of the utmost importance. Although we cannot eliminate all risk, we will always work to mitigate risks facing members of the Canadian Armed Forces during their operations. Our forces will have the appropriate equipment and will receive the necessary training for their missions. We promised Canadians that we would renew our commitment to peacekeeping, and this is exactly what we are doing.

This is another example of our government's commitment to getting involved around the world, and I am proud to say that we are continuing on this path. Tomorrow, the Minister of National Defence will address the United Nations Security Council regarding combined efforts to improve the UN's peacekeeping operations.

Canada is once again showing leadership in global security, whether it is by leading the NATO enhanced Forward Presence battlegroup in Latvia, providing military training in Ukraine, or contributing essential assets to the UN's peacekeeping operations.

National DefenceAdjournment Proceedings

7:20 p.m.

Conservative

James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB

Mr. Speaker, one thing the government again fails to do is fully explain how this is in Canada's national interest. The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali is the most dangerous UN mission in the world, with over 162 peacekeepers already killed, and there is no peace to keep. It is a hot, active combat zone, and we do not need to put our troops between warring factions that are not interested in peace. We also have to remind Canadians that there are uncontrolled terrorist organizations all through the region, which are also fighting and using blue helmets for target practice.

We know that the Prime Minister is using this to curry favour. He is using our troops as pawns. That is why we have to have a debate and a vote on this mission before we deploy any troops. As Conservatives, we will always put the best interest of our troops first and foremost, and make sure that when we do deploy them they are used in the right way with the right objectives under the right principles, including a chain of command they can respect as well as rules of engagement so that they can protect themselves and protect the population they are going to—

National DefenceAdjournment Proceedings

7:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

National DefenceAdjournment Proceedings

7:20 p.m.

Liberal

Jean Rioux Liberal Saint-Jean, QC

Mr. Speaker, it was with great pride that we pledged to provide a contribution that would maximize Canada's impact and bring the most value to the United Nations' stabilization force. General Dallaire supports our mission. He says it was a first-class decision to go back to peacekeeping in Africa in a role that will give us an opportunity to come in with a high-technology requirement that is a force multiplier for the UN troops on the ground.

I want to reiterate that the safety of our men and women in uniform is our number one priority. Stabilizing Mali is a key focus for us. By contributing to the UN's efforts to maintain peace and stability in Mali, we are helping to combat emerging threats and ensure the safety of Canadians both here and abroad.

I will close by quoting what Colonel Drapeau said following our smart pledge: this is a substantial contribution that Canada can be proud of.

Families, Children and Social DevelopmentAdjournment Proceedings

7:20 p.m.

NDP

Brigitte Sansoucy NDP Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC

Mr. Speaker, on October 25, I rose in the House to ask a question about the fact that many of our constituents continue to live in poverty.

In 2018, in the world's 10th largest economic power, a large part of the population still lives in poverty and the government is not taking any real steps to address the problem. That is completely unacceptable. The time for promises has passed. It is now time to take action.

This government promised to help lift hundreds of thousands of seniors out of poverty. The Liberals promised that eligible seniors would be automatically signed up for the guaranteed income supplement, but they have failed almost half a million low-income seniors who are still not receiving that benefit because the reform applies only to new applicants. Seniors who are eligible for this benefit are therefore not automatically enrolled, and yet too many low-income seniors are still not aware that they are eligible for the GIS.

That is why the NDP has been asking for a long time that all eligible individuals receive the GIS automatically. The NDP is asking the government to make GIS enrolment automatic for all seniors and to further increase that benefit so that our seniors are not living in poverty.

These people have incomes of less than $10,000. Will the government finally ensure that they have a decent income and grant them the benefits to which they are entitled? With our country's aging population, it is high time that the government made sure that all seniors have a decent income. We need to ensure that no one is slipping through the cracks in a rich country like ours.

The situation is definitely critical. We know that inequality is growing exponentially around the world and becoming more glaring by the day. I believe it is high time that the government took responsibility and put in place ambitious mechanisms to fight this persistent poverty that threatens our country's future. While inequality grows every year in Canada, it seems that no government, to date, has been able to implement a policy to resolve the problem of poverty in this country.

Over the past year, the fortunes of Canadian billionaires have grown by almost $28 billion. Tax fairness could have helped 4.9 million Canadians who are living below the poverty line. To reduce this poverty that brings shame to Canada, I believe we must be proactive, as recently suggested by the Canadian Medical Association, which believes that investing in social measures would be a more powerful antidote than repeated increases in health budgets.

That is why I am urging the government to listen to the recommendations of organizations, especially Campaign 2000, that are asking it to establish truly progressive policies that can finally eliminate the gap between rich and poor.

My question is therefore simple: when will the government put in place a real concerted strategy to fight poverty? Seniors, families, children, the unemployed, indigenous children, persons with disabilities, refugees, and a great number of Canadians are waiting for the government to take action and put an end to the scourge of poverty.

Families, Children and Social DevelopmentAdjournment Proceedings

7:25 p.m.

Spadina—Fort York Ontario

Liberal

Adam Vaughan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question and for giving me an opportunity to talk about what our government is doing to eliminate poverty in Canada. This is a very important issue for our government, not to mention for the children of this country.

This issue is not something we needed to be told to act on. We have acted. We have acted across so many fronts. I will, in my short time, try to get all of those actions into a single speech.

First and foremost, the Canada child benefit has lifted close to 900,000 kids out of poverty. We did that in our first year in office, and we have indexed that, so it sustains the progress we have made on that front. That lifts countless children straight out of poverty, and does it in a way that is progressive. It has been celebrated by food banks, by anti-poverty organizations, by Oxfam, and by Campaign 2000 right across the country. It is one of the most progressive new policies in my lifetime in this country.

After that, we immediately started to double the investments to provinces on affordable housing in our first budget and sustained those as we move toward the national housing strategy that was launched last year. The focal point of that is the Canada housing benefit, which comes into place next year. However, in the interim we started building new housing so that when the subsidies arrive, they will arrive at the same time the new housing arrives. On that alone, through the national housing strategy, 500,000 Canadians will be lifted out of core housing needs, once again, alleviating poverty.

When it comes to seniors, the guaranteed income supplement was boosted. Contrary to the presentation we just heard, Canadians are automatically enrolled, and have been since the start of January. It was one of the changes we made prior to introducing the budget. That automatic enrolment has also been applied to the Canada workers benefit, which is a boost in earnings that will no longer be taxed for low-income wage earners who re-enter the workforce. In order to support their re-entry, the Canada workers benefit, which replaces the workers income tax benefit, WITB, is now also automatically applied to anyone who files their income taxes, if they are eligible. That is going to affect close to 20,000 people and impact close to 300,000 people in the country, and lift even more people out of poverty.

On top of all of that, we have also lowered the retirement age back down to 65. That eliminates the potential for hundreds of thousands of Canadians to fall off the cliff upon retirement and end up in poverty.

Additional dollars have come the way the member opposite has asked for, and it is there. Add to that $7.5 billion invested in child care in the first provincial, territorial, and federal government agreement on child care the country has ever seen. We did not wait to spend that in the next five or six years, as the NDP promised under its platform. We did not wait for the provinces to come up with their half of the money before we started spending ours, the $7.5 billion that is being signed in provinces and territories day by day. We only have two provinces left to have the complete package put together. In my province alone, that has delivered 100,000 new, affordable, regulated, and high-quality day care spaces, many of which are in the city I represent.

When we add it all up, whether it is the 900,000 or the 300,000 or the 20,000, or the 70,000 or the 500,000 we have lifted well over a million people out of poverty in our first two years in office, and that is not good enough. Our focus now is getting to the next million and the million after that. Our government will not rest as long as poverty defines too many people's lives in our country, most importantly indigenous kids and racialized people who often bear the most horrific brunt of poverty. We have to do better. We have to make sure every Canadian gets advantaged by the programs we have proudly put in place as the new government.

Families, Children and Social DevelopmentAdjournment Proceedings

7:30 p.m.

NDP

Brigitte Sansoucy NDP Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC

Mr. Speaker, the last time I raised this issue during an adjournment debate, my colleague, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development said, “as I said, I have no hesitation in welcoming a push by the party opposite.”

With that in mind, let me list a few more things the government could to to reduce poverty. First, it could speed up the introduction of a universal child care system. Too many parents are still paying $80 a day for child care. Second, let us recognize the right to housing by adding it to the Canadian Bill of Rights. Third, let us make the guaranteed income supplement automatic for all seniors in Canada. Some are still not getting it. Last, let us establish a guaranteed minimum income and implement a national strategy to end homelessness.

Families, Children and Social DevelopmentAdjournment Proceedings

7:30 p.m.

Liberal

Adam Vaughan Liberal Spadina—Fort York, ON

Mr. Speaker, the national housing strategy does place the right to housing within a human rights framework. We are now starting the final consultations before introducing legislation in the next few months that will produce that critically important body of work. I am proud of the work we have done on that.

In fact, let us take a look at what we have done on homelessness. We have doubled the money from our first budget, and now we are spending an extra $100 million annually on homelessness, as we move to reduce it as much as we can. In contrast, the NDP platform had an increase of only $10 million a year, which was just not good enough. That is one of the reasons the New Democrats' housing policy did not get them elected to government. It was not a strong enough housing policy. In fact, I would call it “timid”, if I could quote their leader as he describes other people's housing policies. Theirs was worse than timid. It was meek.

On the issue of basic income, I think it is a fantastic idea. We are looking at different ways in which our programs layer up and create the platform to lift people out with assistance and supports. Poverty reduction—

Families, Children and Social DevelopmentAdjournment Proceedings

7:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

The hon. member for Vancouver East.

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipAdjournment Proceedings

7:30 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

Mr. Speaker, I hope the government can agree that forcing a Ghanaian LGBTQ asylum seeker to lose eight fingers because of frostbite in a desperate attempt to cross over from the U.S. to Canada is unjust. I hope the government can agree that forcing a pregnant woman to carry her crying toddler across the border in the freezing cold is unjust. I hope the government can agree that having a woman die of hypothermia in the hope of finding a better life in Canada is a preventable tragedy, and yet the government has done nothing to rectify this injustice.

These are the direct effects of the safe third country agreement. The xenophobic, anti-refugee political climate in the U.S., combined with the inadequacies of the U.S. asylum system such as lack of access to legal counsel, results in genuine refugee claims being denied. So far, the IRB has found that about 69% of these asylum claims are valid. These are the direct effects of the safe third country agreement.

To be clear, so far these are irregular crossers, not illegal crossers. Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act recognizes the principle of international refugee law prescribed in the Refugee Convention, that a state shall not impose penalties on refugees who may enter without authorization. Canadian immigration law clearly stipulates that seeking asylum through an unmarked border crossing is not illegal, and the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship should know this. That is why it is so disappointing that the minister has wilfully chosen to ignore this fact and cede to Conservative pressure by using the term “illegal” at a recent committee meeting. Let me emphasize that the words “illegal” and “irregular” are not, as the minister has stated, “interchangeable”. As a former refugee lawyer, he should not be ignorant of this fact, especially at a time when irregular crossings are increasing and occurring as a result of the parameters set out in the safe third country agreement.

Despite the government's attempts to turn a blind eye and sweep this issue under the rug, there is no evidence of its going away. The numbers speak for themselves. Sixty-five million people are forcibly displaced globally. In 2016, there were 2,464 asylum claims made by irregular crossers, and in 2017 that figure rose to 20,593. In the first two months of 2018, there have been over 3,000 irregular crossers.

The organizations faced with the daily impact of increased irregular border crossings are left stranded by the government. The IRB faces a backlog of 43,000 cases, with an increase of 2,100 cases per month. Despite this trend, there are 24 vacancies for board members at the IRB.

Mr. Aterman, in his testimony to the standing committee, explained that the lack of funding prevents him from attracting board members to fill these vacancies. He explained that the funding is limited to two years, which means that the organization can offer only short-term contracts to prospective board members.

This is not good enough. The government needs to fund the NGOs on the ground, which are scrambling to address the issue. It needs to support the provinces, which are trying to meet these demands. The government needs to step up and do what is right, suspend the safe third country agreement and ensure that there are resources for the NGOs and the provinces, which are trying to do all the heavy lifting.

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipAdjournment Proceedings

7:35 p.m.

Acadie—Bathurst New Brunswick

Liberal

Serge Cormier LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration

Mr. Speaker, asylum claims are governed in part by international treaties Canada has signed on to. As such, we have a legal responsibility to assess asylum claims made under these international conventions. That is why the asylum system is fundamentally different from all other areas of immigration, and I will provide some explanations and clarifications on that.

First of all, the Canada-U.S. safe third country agreement is a treaty that was negotiated between Canada and the United States. It is premised on a principle accepted by the United Nations Refugee Agency that individuals should seek asylum in the first safe country they reach.

The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act requires the continual review of the U.S. to ensure that the conditions that led to its designation as a safe third country continue to be met. In fact, as we have pointed out on several occasions, the head of the UNHCR in Canada has indicated that the conditions that prevailed at the time of the agreement in 2004 remain the same today.

Consequently, I find it somewhat disappointing to see the NDP once again adopting the same partisan position as the Conservative Party by undermining the credibility of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which includes experts in international refugee law.

This agreement remains an important tool for Canada and the U.S. to work together on the orderly handling of refugee claims made in our countries. That being said, entering Canada illegally between designated ports of entry is dangerous and is a violation of the law. Anyone who is intercepted by the RCMP or law enforcement after crossing the border irregularly is taken before an immigration officer who conducts an examination to establish the person's identity and whether they are admissible to Canada. An initial security screening is also carried out to ensure that the person does not pose a security threat to Canada and to determine whether they are eligible to make a refugee claim.

Our government is stepping up its efforts to educate the public about how Canada's asylum system works. We are working on that in close co-operation with our missions in the United States. We are in regular contact with the communities in the United States and we are posting messages on social media, for example, in Canada and in the United States, in order to provide reliable information.

We have made it clear that entry into Canada between points of entry is not a free pass into Canada. There are very strict immigration and customs rules and we will enforce those rules to protect our communities from security risks. We have also made it clear that by entering Canada and seeking asylum, individuals risk losing their temporary protection status in the United States.

To prove how seriously we take this matter, budget 2018 provides $173.2 million in funding to border security operations at the Canada-U.S. border and asylum claims processing. This money will help make it easier for our partners to better manage the growing pressure on all aspects of the asylum system, including the interception of people, determination of eligibility for claiming asylum, Immigration and Refugee Board decisions on refugee claims, and removal of claimants.

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipAdjournment Proceedings

7:40 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

Mr. Speaker, I wonder who is actually catering to conservatives. The Parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship just used the word “illegal” to describe asylum seekers coming from the United States. They are not illegal; they are irregular. Instead of adopting anti-refugee rhetoric by calling asylum seekers illegal or, as the Prime Minister suggested, economic migrants jumping the queue, the government needs to act with courage and recognize the situation.

Lawyers, human rights advocates, NGOs, and the community have been calling for the government to suspend the safe third country agreement. In fact, there is a court case right now against the government on this issue. The government is turning a blind eye to this reality, causing people to cross over, risking life and limb. Using words like “illegal crossers” to cater to a conservative point of view is absolutely shameful.

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipAdjournment Proceedings

7:40 p.m.

Liberal

Serge Cormier Liberal Acadie—Bathurst, NB

Mr. Speaker, the safe third country agreement is based on the principle recognized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. I can understand that the NDP is a bit upset to hear us say that the representative from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Canada clearly said that the agreement was still being honoured to this day, but it is a bit disappointing to see the NDP get into a debate on the expertise of that agency.

Again, we will do what it takes. Budget 2018 provides $173 million to deal with the irregular border crossings, as well as other means to prevent them. We will continue to work on this file to resolve the situation as soon as possible.

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipAdjournment Proceedings

7:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 2 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 7:43 p.m.)